


Edd All About It

by orphan_account



Category: Ed Edd n Eddy
Genre: M/M, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-31
Updated: 2013-07-31
Packaged: 2017-12-22 00:06:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/906550
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>High school journalism proves to be a bit of a challenge for Edd, but he gets some unexpected help from an unlikely source.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Edd All About It

**Author's Note:**

> Part of a series of fics that is going to proceed through Edd and Kevin's time at Peach Creek High School. Sequel to   
> "Kissing in the Edd".

The last lingering days of summer vacation trickled down the drain, each hour passing like sand through an hourglass. Edd spent those days imagining Kevin’s kiss, lips rain-slicked and wanting, hands groping for his chest, breath blissfully stolen from him. It was making preparations for his language placement exam unbearably difficult, especially the uncomfortable hardness that periodically grew between his legs. Just thinking about it embarrassed him, more than ever now that he had the means to alleviate it; his mother’s personal library had proven a lifesaver. Nevertheless, the blessed first day of school finally arrived, and with it, the means for Edd to finally distract himself from all these silly thoughts. 

The first day of school had always been magical to Edd. The smell of new textbooks, the sound of keyboards softly click-clacking, the fine plumes of chalk dust that filled the air, but most of all Edd loved that here, he wasn’t merely “Double Dweeb". He was the favorite of all his teachers, the helpful student that ran copies or stapled pamphlets when he finished an exam early, the bustling, well-received editor of the Peach Creek Tattler. He was accomplished, respected, and far away from Eddy’s scheming. Certainly, as soon as the school bell rang, he’d be pulled back into his stunts, but the school day provided Edd with 8 hours of relatively uninterrupted peace. Not only that, but this year was exceptionally special: his first day of high school. Surely, he reasoned, this experience would be just as rewarding as the last.

Exactly seven minutes after setting foot inside the school, Edd was slammed into a locker by an enormous body, clad in a well-worn letterman jacket. “Watch it, freshie!" The owner of the body called back to him and grinned devilishly. Edd rubbed his damaged shoulder. ‘No doubt it will bruise,’ he thought woefully to himself, pulling his messenger bag closer to him and hoping that the remainder of the day proceeded incident-free. 

Three hours later, Edd’s arms throbbed with pain at having been shoved this way and that through the halls, pinched by Marie Kanker (who had somehow procured his class schedule) and punched by Eddy, who had taken up the intolerable habit of socking his friends in the shoulder out of some misplaced sense of camaraderie no doubt picked up from his abominable brother. Luckily, his next class period consisted of his orientation into the Peach Creek High School journalism club, proprietors of the school newspaper, The Beacon. Edd mused to himself that it was a much nobler name than the Tattler, and comforted himself with visions of intense proofreading and black ink on white pages. 

The journalism room was attached to the library, a small office space furnished with enough computers for the six or seven staff members that managed the paper. In the back sat the printer and several boxes of white paper—the newspaper itself was little more than four or five sheets stapled neatly together—and binders full of back copies. Pencils littered the desks, and the crew had mounted a huge whiteboard onto the opposite wall, which read at the top “This Week’s Top Stories". Being the first day of school, the list was barren, but Edd’s heart leapt at the thought of his first story. Before he could consider what that story might be, a very small girl in a tweed skirt and oversized sweater strode in, her dark hair piled atop of her head in a lopsided bun threaded with blonde highlights. Her glasses perched at the tip of her freckled nose, and for a moment Edd wondered if they would slide right off.

"You’re Eddward M.—hmm, they left off your last name. Oh, well. Welcome to the Peach Creek Beacon." Edd smiled awkwardly, and he scratched the back of his hand nervously. “What’s that thing on your head?"

"Oh, uh, it’s a—"

"My name is Lora. I’m the Lead Editor for the Beacon, and as of right now, I am also the entire staff. At least, I was, until you showed up. You know what that means?"

"Er…well, I would presume, Lora, that—"

"It means we are gonna have to do some recruiting. Now, I don’t expect a full staff to just appear on my doorstep, so I need  _you_  to recruit new writers. They can be guests, they can be regulars—hell, I am willing to let faculty write, if it gets this paper off the ground." Edd didn’t understand: how could the newspaper have no writers? Would his illustrious journalism career be cut short so cruelly? Fear pooled in the pit of Edd’s stomach, but Lora snapped her fingers in front of her face. “Do you give a shit about this newspaper?"

"Oh, yes! Of course!" Lora arched her thick brow skeptically.

"I don’t believe you yet. Get me some writers, and maybe I’ll make you my Assistant Editor." Edd nodded furiously, and Lora walked past him, sighing heavily and tossing her bag into the corner. “Look, Eddward, here’s the deal: the entire journalism staff graduated last year. Everyone but me, which meant that I inherited the newspaper by proxy. I went from Arts and Entertainment contributor to Lead Editor overnight. That’s a lot of pressure, and I can be crabby, irritable, rude, spiteful…you get what I’m saying here?" Edd bit his lip and nodded. “You seem like one of those sensitive flower types, and I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings, but the thing is, if I don’t get a paper out by this week, the school is closing down the entire program to save money. That’s FOUR DAYS, Eddward—not much time."

"Perhaps we could make an announcement? Inform the entire student body that we are searching for participants?" Lora laughed, a strange sound somewhere between a cackle and a bark.

"As if they’d let us do that. They  _want_ our paper to fail, sweetheart. It’s another dime or two in the BOE’s pocket." Lora plopped down in her rolling chair. “That’s the Board of Education, if you are wondering." 

"I-I am aware what that acronym stood for, Lora. I cannot believe that they would so blatantly…" Edd sighed, pulling at the sleeve of his cardigan. “I suppose I am quite naive about the workings of high school politics."

"Yeah, I’d say so. Anyway, get to work. Put up these fliers—" She pointed at a stack of colorful advertisements reading “Release Your Inner Reporter!"—and pass them out during lunch. If that doesn’t work, start asking your friends." Edd grimaced; he couldn’t imagine that Lora wanted Ed and Eddy writing for her newspaper. “Just make sure that somebody agrees. Bribe them if you have to."

"B-bribe them?! But that’s immoral! We cannot build a reputable newspaper on…on…" Lora smiled and pulled out a tube of lipstick—a rich burgundy—and applied it to her mouth. 

"You know, you’re cute when you’re frazzled. Come on, don’t you have somebody that you could ask?" Edd nodded, if only to placate Lora for the time. “Good. Get on it, pardner. I gotta get started on the layout." And with that, Lora disappeared into her computer screen, leaving Edd to embark upon this impossible task. 

Hanging the fliers was easy—Edd plastered them in the highest traffic areas of the school, each with a Post-it note with his contact information neatly printed upon it. What proved difficult was distributing them. Most of his fellow students refused to even look at him, much less take one, and those that did laughed at him and threw them away, more often than not. Every now and then, Edd would sense interest in someone, but before he could invite them personally, they would disappear in the crowds moving to and fro across the halls, until finally, he was alone there, his pile of fliers heavier than before.

"Hey, Double D!" Eddy called for him from the boys’ bathroom in his raspy voice, Ed poking his head out and chuckling behind him. Edd sighed and made his way toward them, defeat settling in him like a poison. 

"Greetings, Eddy. Good morning, Ed." Eddy swiped one of the fliers from him. “E-Eddy, those are for interested parties only! Please return that at once!"

"What are they, anyway?" Eddy paused to read. “Bahahaha! The school newspaper? Who in their right mind would write for this piece of junk?" 

"Of the people, by the people, for the people, Eddy!" Ed interjected with a raised finger.

"Yes, thank you, Ed. He’s right, Eddy—the school newspaper is a venue through which students can voice their opinions about their classes, their community, and each other. Furthermore, it allows organizations to inform the community at large about opportunities for engagement and—"

"Wait, so anybody can put anything in the newspaper?" Eddy’s eyes shone greedily.

"Eddy, that is not what I said." Edd crossed his arms. “I refuse to allow you to use the newspaper as a turnkey for your scams." Ed grinned widely and scratched his back against a nearby water fountain. “Now, if you want to submit a meaningful piece to the newspaper, we take all genres of creative work, news articles, and—you’re not even listening to me, are you?" Indeed, Eddy had already began muttering to himself about his next scheme, and Edd shook his head, sliding the remainder of the flyers into his messenger bag. Lora wouldn’t be pleased, but at least he managed to get the word out. Waving goodbye to Ed, Edd made his way to the library alcove where Lora waited.

"So? How’d it go?" Edd grimaced, shrugging his shoulders.

"Well, Lora, perhaps we should consider another angle." Lora beat her fist sharply upon her desk.

"Damn! I’m telling you, Eddward, things are looking grim. I’ve managed to pull together a few articles myself, but nobody wants to read a newspaper written by one person." Lora sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. “Maybe it’s just time to face the music—the paper’s dead."

"No!" Edd moved toward her, leaned over her desk. “We simply cannot give up, Lora! The school is counting on us to deliver unbiased and useful information to them! To entertain them with clever jokes and challenging Sudoku puzzles! We must perservere!" Edd’s cheeks flushed with emotion and his hat slid back, allowing a few strands of hair to escape and fall into his eyes. “Please, Lora! Don’t give up!" Lora chuckled softly and shook her head. 

"Boy, you are something else, you know that? Such a sweetie." Lora rose from her desk, crossing her arms. “You’re right, Edd. We’ve gotta keep pushing. I’m gonna call all of my friends tonight and annoy the shit out of them until they write something. I trust you’ll do the same." 

"Naturally, Lora." Edd smiled widely, not remembering to cover his gaptoothed grin with his hand, as he often did.

The next morning, after a evening of bargaining and heavy editing, Edd had retrieved a short treatise from Ed regarding the artistry of toast, an economic advice column from Eddy—which Edd would publish anonymously, as it contained not-so-subtle hints toward his latest scam—and a report on the newest school clubs by himself. Combined with the news reports Lora had put together, they had gathered enough stories for a small issue of The Beacon, but the entertainment section was completely barren, save for a hastily-procured crossword in the left corner. He needed something with real punch, something unexpected and fresh and—

"Hey, look—it’s that little shithead that bumped into me yesterday." Edd gulped and turned around to come face-to-face with a huge creature in a letterman jacket, this time surrounded by three more nearly-identical men, all of whom appeared to be twice his height. Edd pressed himself against his locker and whimpered.

"Uh, g-good morning, gentlemen. Can I, er…assist you?" The leader of the group laughed, an spiteful sound with a quality not unlike a 

"Assist us? Yeah, sure." He grabbed Edd by the front of his sweater. “Why don’t you assist me by taking that cute mouth of yours and—"

"Hey. Get your hands off him, Derney." Behind the crowd of giant men, Kevin stood with his fists balled so tight, his knuckles shone white. The one called Derney turned and let out an ugly laugh, motioning for Kevin to approach.

"Hey, Kevin! Come here and give me a hand with this freshie, he—hgkk!!" Kevin was on Derney in a matter of seconds, his hand closed tight around his throat.

"I said, get your hands off. Unless you wanna be a benchwarmer for half the season." Derney lifted his arms in surrender and Kevin released him, shoving his cronies out of the way. “Get the fuck out of here." They obeyed him, scurrying down the hall like kicked puppies. “Hey, you alright, dork?" Edd’s legs shook, but he nodded all the same. “Look, just…nobody pushes you around but me, got it?" Kevin’s threat seemed strangely hollow to Edd; it made him feel safe, not threatened. “They ever bother you again, you tell me."

"A-affirmative, Kevin…" Edd’s cheeks flushed, and he straightened his cardigan. “Many thanks. I thought they were going to—"

"You still doing that newspaper thing?" Edd’s eyes widened.

"Why yes, Kevin, we certainly are! Are you interested in contributing?" Without another word, Kevin pulled a folded piece of notebook paper from his jeans and thrust it out at Edd.

"I, uh…here." Edd opened it and, much to his surprise, found that it was a poem. It was untitled, and though most of it was legible, there were spots and odd smudges here and there. “You tell anyone and I’ll—"

"Oh, no, certainly! I will publish anonymously if it makes you feel more comfortable." Kevin nodded and pulled his cap down tighter. 

"Good. And—uh, good luck with your paper." With that, Kevin turned and walked away, leaving Edd clutching the poem to his chest, baffled and yet inconceivably happy. 

The first issue of the Peach Creek Beacon hit the racks early on Friday morning, and much to Edd and Lora’s surprise, the student body received it well, leaving only a few extra copies for Edd to retrieve and recycle at the end of the day. Lora was thrilled—of course, the momentary glee passed quickly, and soon she was bombarding him with assignments, but Edd didn’t mind: they had succeeded after all, and that was what mattered. Most of all, Edd found great joy in seeing Kevin’s poem posted on the bulletin board outside the office. Someone must have read it and found something there that spoke to them, he realized, and Edd smiled behind his physics binder. He dearly hoped that Kevin saw it too.


End file.
